Lower
levels could use the cut-up dialogue & the roleplay at
the end. If the text is too difficult you could orally summarise
it, giving some interesting teacher talk & get a discussion
going along the lines of the points mentioned in stage 1.

Stage
1 - Intro to the theme of lost property
10 mins tch<>stds
1. Elicit from the stds if they have recently lost anything.
Are they going to attempt to get it back? Where might they
go for this? How successful do they think they will be? Heard
of any unusual stories about this?
Could put these questions on the board - pairwork >>
class feedback.
2. Give the stds the article headline: Misplaced
a wad of cash? In Japan, not to worry - ask them to predict
the content of the article. Write up some of their ideas on
the board.

1. List the objects lost nowadays in the article along
with any how many were found.

2. List the objects that people used to lose.

3. What reasons are given for the honesty of the Japanese
people?

4. Name the comparisons made with other places in the
world.

4. Stds compare answers.
5. Class feedback - ask for justification....Also getting
the stds to respond to the text, elicit: Which bits did they
find surprising, unusual? Would such a situation be possible
in their country? Why not?

Stage
3 - Language focus
25 mins tch<>stds, std<>std, tch<>stds
The text might well lend itself to a brief look at reported
speech - why is the writer using direct speech in the few
instances that he does. Possibly the lexical field of losing
things might be useful. There are also the discourse markers
to pick up on.

Stage
4- Follow up work - roleplays - to
the objects
25 mins tch<>stds, std<>std, tch<>stds
1. Give out the following dialogue, cut up into sections,
& stds order together.

Excuse
me, I wonder if you could help me?

------------------------------------------------

Yes,
what can I do for you.

------------------------------------------------

Well,
I've lost a raincoat. I left it on the bus the other
day.

------------------------------------------------

Which
day was this?

------------------------------------------------

Thursday,
at around five o'clock in the afternoon.

------------------------------------------------

And
which bus were you on?

------------------------------------------------

The
number 47, going from Market Street to the Town Square.

------------------------------------------------

OK,
let me have a look....oh, what was the raincoat like?

------------------------------------------------

It
was brown, fairly normal, size 10.

------------------------------------------------

OK,
I won't be a minute.

------------------------------------------------

Now,
these are what I've found. Is one of them yours?

------------------------------------------------

Well,these
two look like it. Could I see them?

------------------------------------------------

Here
you are.

------------------------------------------------

Yes,
I think it's this one. Yes, it's a size 10 & it's
got some of my rubbish in the pockets.

------------------------------------------------

Good.
Could you sign here then.

------------------------------------------------

Of
course.

------------------------------------------------

Thank
you.

------------------------------------------------

Thanks
a lot Bye.

------------------------------------------------

Bye.

2. When completed, get the stds to think how the conversation
could be made more sophisticated & natural - give ideas,
expanding on any of the language areas you think might be
useful for this particular group.
3. Class feedback.
4. Roleplays - lost property officer & client. Using the
objects, set up a roleplay with have the class having
lost things - give the object cut out of the page & the
officer has the page of all the objects. The client describes
& the officer identifies.

An alternative would be to refer to the section where one
official wonders what happened to the owners, & give several
objects from the article for the stds to invent stories &
extensions.